Tell DHS: Refugees deserve the right to defend their status

DHS has issued a new rule cutting the time refugees have to respond to a notice that their refugee status will be terminated from 30 days to just 10. These are people our government vetted, approved, and welcomed with a promise of permanent safety.

Can you take a few minutes to personalize and submit your comment today and let DHS know that you vehemently oppose this rule?

By law, officials must review and respond to all unique comments, which is why it’s so important that you add in your personal touch. If you do not include personalized language, your comment will not be counted. Why does this rule need to be overturned? Does your family have a refugee history? Does your faith ask you to stand in solidarity with refugees? Do you volunteer with refugees? HIAS will then deliver your public comment on your behalf.

There is no appeal when someone’s refugee status is terminated, so the response to the “Notice of Intent to Terminate” is the only chance a refugee gets to make their case. Under this rule, not only is the response period slashed to 10 days, but the clock starts when the notice is mailed, not when it arrives. In that time, someone would have to understand the notice, find a lawyer, and gather evidence. If they miss the deadline, they lose the right to respond, their refugee status and work authorization end, and they can be placed in removal proceedings. The government’s own analysis says the rule could apply to up to 186,000 refugees who arrived between 2015 and 2025 and haven’t yet received green cards.

This rule is already in effect. But for a limited time it's open for public comment, and every comment becomes part of the official record — a record that matters for future legal challenges and oversight.

Please add your comment to tell DHS how this rule will harm refugees before the comment period closes on November 13, 2026. Anyone may submit a comment, but comments must be submitted in English.

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Personalize Your Message

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Docket ID: USCIS-2026-0397

I am writing to oppose the interim final rule that cuts the time a refugee has to respond to a Notice of Intent to Terminate (NOIT) from thirty days to ten.

Refugees resettled to the United States were interviewed, screened, and approved by our own government, which invited them to build their lives here. Resettlement is meant to promise permanent safety.

Even DHS acknowledges that up until this point, USCIS has terminated so few refugee cases that it cannot analyze past NOIT outcomes, and the 30-day response period has stood for decades.

Because there is no appeal from a termination decision, the response to a NOIT is the only opportunity a refugee has to defend their status. Ten days, measured from the date a notice is mailed rather than received, is not enough time for someone to obtain legal counsel and gather the documents that they will need to defend their status. DHS’ own analysis acknowledges that refugees will have less time to collect evidence and prepare. Someone who misses the deadline forfeits the right to respond, loses work authorization, and faces removal proceedings.

I am especially concerned about refugees with limited English or no legal help, and about families. A principal refugee’s termination can end the refugee status of their spouse and children as well. DHS identifies about 186,000 refugee cases from fiscal years 2015 through 2025 who are at risk: people who are working, raising children, and contributing to their communities.

I urge DHS to withdraw this rule and restore the 30-day response period.

Thank you

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